"Whoa!"
"Who is this guy? How dare he cut in front of Lin Xiu Ya and Liu Qing?"
"Tsk, this greenhorn kid obviously doesn't know his place as a new student."
After a brief moment of silence, the crowd immediately erupted with strong criticisms.
"Hmph!"
Liu Qing snorted coldly. With his competitive and combative personality, he disliked others being ahead of him, especially Lin Xiu Ya who ranked higher on the leaderboards.
"Oh dear, don't be angry. Aren't there inexperienced newcomers every year?"
Lin Xiu Ya smiled gently. Known for his friendly demeanor, he revealed a sunny smile and approached proactively, "Hello, new student. I'm Lin Xiu Ya. Can we get to know each other?"
Lin Xiu Ya's polite demeanor, akin to that of a courteous young gentleman, won the favor of many freshmen sitting in the back rows.
"Hmm? Lin Xiu Ya seems to be trying to establish a good impression in front of the newcomers, hoping to attract them to join the Wolf Fang gang."
Dressed in a striking silver robe and adorned with dazzling silver hair, Han Yue looked curiously at Yun Tianming, who seemed completely indifferent to his surroundings. Her intuition told her that this young man was extraordinary.
Lin Xiu Ya's smile froze slightly because his friendly greeting received no response.
"Tsk! Such arrogance! Ignoring Senior Brother, huh?"
Unlike the approachable Lin Xiu Ya, Bai Cheng was known for his petty nature. He was about to step forward when Bai Shan behind him stopped him abruptly, saying, "Cousin! Don't! This isn't the time! This person is no ordinary newcomer!"
As a freshman, Bai Shan had chosen not to join Xun'er's newly created faction for personal reasons but had instead joined the White Gang run by relatives. On their way into the inner courtyard, he had witnessed firsthand Yun Tianming's formidable combat prowess.
"What? Bai Shan, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Bai Cheng frowned deeply after hearing the explanation, clearly not believing the outrageous nonsense from the other party.
Peak Dou Spirit killing a Sixth Rank Magic Beast?
What a joke!
Even Zi Yan, the top powerhouse on the strength rankings, couldn't do that, right?
"I'm telling you the truth, based on what I saw with my own eyes."
Bai Shan smiled wryly. Despite his displeasure with Yun Tianming stealing the limelight, the guy's strength was undeniable, leaving no room for him to provoke.
"Hey, Bai Cheng, what are you guys talking about? Do you know this greenhorn newcomer?"
Han Xian from the Medicine Gang approached, curious.
"Han Xian, listen to this. My cousin here says he saw that newcomer defeat a Sixth Rank Magic Beast. Isn't that hilarious?"
Bai Cheng burst into laughter, clearly expressing disbelief.
"Cousin! I'm telling the truth! And that guy isn't just any newcomer. I heard he's also a Fifth Grade Alchemist."
Bai Shan stamped his foot in frustration.
"Hehe, your cousin is quite humorous."
Han Xian smiled dismissively as well. Despite being an outstanding Fourth Grade Alchemist himself, the idea of a younger-looking person being a Fifth Grade Alchemist seemed too far-fetched.
"Um, junior? What's with you?"
Continuously ignored, even the usually patient Lin Xiu Ya was starting to get annoyed now, reaching out to grab Yun Tianming's shoulder. However, he swiftly evaded his grasp.
"Huh!?"
Liu Qing and Han Yue's expressions changed, thinking to themselves: That was incredibly fast!
"Student, were you calling me?"
Yun Tianming looked confused, as he had been pondering about the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower and hadn't noticed the discussions behind him.
"Student... um, could you at least address me as Senior Brother?"
Lin Xiu Ya twitched his mouth, thinking this newcomer was extremely disrespectful.
"No, you've got the wrong person. I'm not your junior."
Yun Tianming countered seriously. As a Mentor in the inner academy, his seniority was higher than the other person's, so if anyone should be addressing the other as "Senior Brother," it should be the other way around. He just didn't feel like explaining it all.
"Huh?"
This left Lin Xiu Ya completely confused. Before he could continue questioning, a vibration shook through the area, and the iron gate of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower slowly opened. An elder with white hair called out loudly, "Opening the tower! All students, line up and enter in order!"
Standing at the front of the line, Yun Tianming naturally walked forward.
"You are..."
The elder with white hair asked in surprise, clearly assuming Yun Tianming was an inexperienced newcomer.
Upon seeing this, Yun Tianming quickly answered, "Hello, Elder. I am a new Mentor here, my name is Yun Tianming."
While introducing himself, Yun Tianming casually handed over a Pill to the elder, saying, "This is a Pill I refined specifically to neutralize Fire Poison. It's just a small token of respect."
The elder with white hair initially wanted to decline the offer, but upon hearing that the Pill could neutralize Fire Poison, a glint of interest flashed in his aged eyes...
"Hehe, Mentor Yun is too polite!"
Hearing their conversation, the senior students behind them were all stunned.
"What? This kid... is actually a Mentor?"
"Are you kidding me? He looks several years younger than us."
"Wait! Did I just hear something about a Pill that can neutralize Fire Poison?"
Han Yue's eyes lit up as she stared intently at Yun Tianming.
During training in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Fire Poison would accumulate in the body over time. One must leave and quietly recuperate for a period of time to allow the Fire Poison to dissipate before entering the tower again. If there was a Pill that could neutralize Fire Poison, one could stay in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for longer periods, greatly enhancing training efficiency.
Thinking of this, the expressions of the senior students on the scene towards Yun Tianming were all different!
"A Pill to neutralize Fire Poison? That sounds easy, but it can't be that simple."
Han Xian was the first to express disbelief. Regarding the handling of Fire Poison in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, their Medecine Gang had researched extensively, but they had never succeeded.
Even if the other person was a Mentor, he was new here and it was his first time in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. How could he understand the potency of the Fire Poison there?
However, what he didn't know was that Yun Tianming was prepared because he had read about Fire Poison in "Yao Chen Notes" and had learned the formula to neutralize it.
Ignoring the murmurs behind him, Yun Tianming was the first to enter the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
However, the moment Yun Tianming stepped through the tower's gate, his body suddenly froze. His delicate face seemed like burning coal, accompanied by faint white mist emitting from his body, making a sizzling sound similar to roasting meat as it permeated from within him.
Following closely behind, Lin Xiu Ya and the others were already prepared, using Dou Qi in advance to protect their internal organs. Upon seeing Yun Tianming's condition, both Bai Cheng and Han Xian showed expressions of schadenfreude.
"Haha! Shamelessly boasting about resolving Fire Poison. Let's see how you handle it now!" Han Xian said coldly.
"At the initial entry into the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, not being accustomed to the scorching of Heart Fire, what's so funny about that? Haven't we all gone through this?" Han Yue frowned, intending to call an elder to deal with the situation.
But just then, a mysterious Azure Blue Flame surged from Yun Tianming's body, extinguishing the Heart Fire with irresistible force!
****
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